1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a shower head of the type having a plurality of water spray patterns.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Shower heads are well known in the art. In a shower stall, a pipe fitting normally protrudes through a wall and has external threads at the end of the pipe. A shower head will threadably engage with the pipe to accept water from the pipe and provide a spray to a person using the shower. Two types of shower heads are known in the art. The first type is a fixed shower head which threadably engages to the fitting and sprays water downwardly. The second type is the hand-held wand version, where a corrugated and flexible pipe is connected to the incoming water fitting and allows the user to hold a wand in his or her hand to direct the water for the shower.
One of the concerns in this area is cleanliness, both the cleanliness of the water projecting from the shower head, but also keeping the shower head itself clean such that all spray openings of the shower head remain open for water spray. With respect to the filtration of the water, there appears to be no shower heads available having an internal filter to filter the water prior to exiting the shower head. With respect to keeping the spray apertures clean, this is at least an area that has attempted to be resolved, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,380, yet uses the water pressure itself to drive a cleaning device.
Other desirabilities exist in this market place, including providing a plurality of spray patterns or functions, including such functions as the standard spray, a misting function, and a massage function. It is also desirable to easily change these settings from one function to the other without great difficulty. Some units exist in the market place, but have a plurality of dials for changing the functions, or require multiple dials to be operated to achieve one function. It is desirable then to provide an easy and consistent method of changing one function setting to the next.
The above shortcomings and others have been improved upon by providing a shower head for spraying water on the user, where the shower head is comprised of a front housing portion having a plurality of water spray openings, and a rear housing portion which receives incoming water from a source, and an integral filter positioned intermediate said front and rear housing portions. In this manner, water is filtered from the water source prior to being sprayed through the plurality of water spray openings.
The shower head can be profiled such that the rear housing portion has a rear port for receiving the water with internal pipe threads for a fixed connection with a water supply. Alternatively, the shower head can be profiled such that the rear housing portion includes a handle portion, and elongate flexible hose for connection with a water supply, whereby the handle and shower head can be hand-held.
Preferably the filter is defined as a cylindrical canister, filled with a filter medium comprised of copper-zinc crystals. Also preferably, the rear housing portion includes a rear filter retainer having a water flow inlet to the filter while the front housing portion includes a front filter retainer having a water flow outlet from the filter.
Preferably the shower head includes a plurality of water spray openings which are profiled in a plurality of spray patterns. Also preferably, the shower head includes a rotatable water flow director, which rotates to direct water to areas defining said spray patterns.
In another aspect of the invention, a shower head comprises a plurality of water spray openings and a front face plate of the shower head, where the openings are profiled to define different spray modes operable by rotating the front face. The shower head has a rotatable water flow director which rotates with said front face upon rotation, and the water flow director directs water to various spray openings within the shower head to vary the spray mode. Preferably the front face plate includes a plurality of channels on a rear side thereof and the water flow director is rotatable to direct water to various channels. In this embodiment, the channels are defined as concentric channels of various radii. Also, the shower head includes an internal wall having at least one opening therethrough, with the water flow director having a plurality of openings, whereby rotation of the water flow director aligns at least one of the water flow director openings with the internal wall opening to direct the water flow. Also preferably, the water flow director is comprised of a plate, having a plurality of openings adjacent to the wall and having internal passageways communicating with apertures adjacent to the channels, with an aperture for each channel.
Preferably the shower head internal wall includes more than one opening, and a plurality of the water flow director openings can be aligned with the internal wall openings, whereby a plurality of spray modes operate simultaneously. Finally, the shower head preferably includes an internal filter positioned adjacent the internal wall, whereby water is directed through the filter and then through the internal wall opening.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a shower head for spraying water includes a plurality of spray openings and front face plate, and a cleaning ring positioned behind the face plate with a plurality of cleaning pins aligned with the plurality of spray openings. A camming surface is positioned on the cleaning ring, whereby the front face plate and cleaning ring are rotatable and the cleaning ring is cammed forward projecting the cleaning pins through the spray openings.
Preferably the cleaning ring is spring-loaded in the fully rearward position away from the front face plate. Also preferably, the face plate has a plurality of detented positions, where the cam is profiled to traverse a complete cycle between adjacent detented positions.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a shower head includes a front face plate having a plurality of spray openings defining a plurality of spray patterns, a water distributor directing the flow of water between select spray patterns and a filter positioned upstream of the front face plate to filter water prior to exiting from the face plate. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the front face plate is rotatable to vary the spray patterns, and a cleaning ring is positioned behind the face plate with cleaning pins moving into and out of at least some of the openings, upon rotation of the face plate.